Location
  • Italy
    • Rome
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding, General grants/scholarships, BIPOC funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Price Details
Contact IES Abroad or see website for details: www.IESabroad.org/rome
What's Included
Accommodation Classes Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Visa
Nov 27, 2023
Sep 06, 2023
28 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Rome will be your classroom. Can you imagine places like the Vatican, Pantheon, the Forum, or the Coliseum being part of your education? Welcome to study abroad! Wherever possible our courses take advantage of the city’s many opportunities through a series of course-related field studies to many historical, artistic, and cultural sites.

IES Abroad Rome has something for every major. We offer programs in Langauge & Area Studies, Art History & Fashion, Early Childhood Education, Film & Media Studies, History & Classics, International Relations, Sociology & Religion, Language & Culture, and Fashion Studies. With so many disciplines in one Center, you're able to customize your program with a multitude of IES Abroad classes. You can also enroll in courses at a local university, where you will experience first-hand the Italian educational system. Maybe you’ll even make some Italian friends while you’re at it.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

LGBTQIA+ Support

Today, and every day, we celebrate who you are and who you will become. We take pride in simply getting to know you, and look forward to adventuring through this incredible world with you.

Studying abroad as part of the LGBTQIA+ community can present unique opportunities and challenges in exploring a new culture, so we have compiled resources on sexual orientation, gender identity, and allyship to help prepare you and support you along the way.

Neurodivergent Support

Going abroad, whether this is your first time or your umpteenth, can be a trip both literally and figuratively. Seeing something new or being someplace unfamiliar has its own challenges, especially when it comes to mental health and physical accessibility. With IES Abroad, you won't handle these concerns on your own.

We have not only compiled resources on mental health, physical health, and self-care to help prepare you and support you along the way, but we also have a dedicated Student Affairs staff that are available for you to contact from the United States and once in your host country.

Accessibility Support

Going abroad, whether this is your first time or your umpteenth, can be a trip both literally and figuratively. Seeing something new or being someplace unfamiliar has its own challenges, especially when it comes to mental health and physical accessibility. With IES Abroad, you won't handle these concerns on your own.

We have not only compiled resources on mental health, physical health, and self-care to help prepare you and support you along the way, but we also have a dedicated Student Affairs staff that are available for you to contact from the United States and once in your host country.

Impact

Sustainability

As part of IES Abroad's Global Good Commitment, IES Abroad employs sustainability measures in the following ways:
-Moving toward more sustainable Headquarters and Centers abroad
-Producing printed materials mindfully
-Hosting events and conferences in LEED-certified buildings
-Purchasing carbon offsets for staff air travel
-The formation of the IES Abroad Sustainability Team - a dedicated group of volunteers responsible for implementing sustainable practices across our organization. The team comprises of members across our Centers, departments, teams. It is truly a global effort, and we are better for it.

Program Highlights

  • Partake in unique field trips to sites such as the Amalfi Coast or Tuscany.
  • Feel at home in IES Abroad-vetted housing, which may include homestays, residence halls with local university students, and/or apartments (often with a local resident assistant).
  • Complement your courses by going on one of many course-related trips.
  • Have access to a variety of student services.
  • IES Abroad gives $5 million in scholarships and aid

Popular Programs

two students wearing jean jackets sitting on a ledge in front of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy

No matter what your level of Italian language proficiency, this program is for you. Students enroll in an Italian language course and choose from a variety of other courses, taught in both English and Italian. You can also enroll in courses at a local university, where you will experience first-hand the Italian educational system. Maybe you’ll even make some Italian friends while you’re at it.

three students gathered around a stone slab with inscribed text in Rome

Our Rome Summer Language & Culture Program offers a variety of language courses, ranging from beginning to advanced, taught by expert faculty trained in second language acquisition. Practice all four skills (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) while maintaining the main emphasis on oral production. During your time in Rome, you won't just speak the language--you'll learn what makes the Italian culture one of a kind.

five students standing in front of the Vatican in Vatican City, Rome, Italy on a sunny day

Explore fashion design and production in one of the world’s top fashion cities. Through coursework and hands-on experience, you’ll explore the theoretical and practical aspects of contemporary Italian fashion production. Field trips to local museums, exhibitions, and more provide context for what you are learning in the classroom. We also partner with the Accademia di Costume e Moda—a center of excellence for fashion and costume design education—to provide two fundamental fashion courses.

close up of a street vendor's feet as he walks down a cobblestone path towards the Colosseum

Our Film & Media Studies program makes Rome the set of your study abroad adventure. It’s here you'll connect your passion to your studies while enrolling in courses where you'll create your own documentary, explore the ethics of storytelling, and more. An Italian language course rounds out your film studies focus. You also have the opportunity to take Italian- or English-taught courses in the Humanities, Religious Studies, and Social Sciences at the prestigious Università degli Studi Roma Tre.

student standing down the road from the Vatican

Our International Relations Program explores the role and history of Italian involvement in European, Mediterranean, and world affairs from the 1800s to the present. You’ll examine the long-lasting interaction and implications of Italy’s position in the EU, the intricacies and complexities of Italian politics since the end of WWII, fundamental contemporary issues such as terrorism and mass migration, and more.

Scholarships

IES Abroad Scholarships

IES Abroad Scholarships and Financial Aid

Financial limitations shouldn't prevent you from studying abroad with us. That's why IES Abroad offers more than $6 million in scholarships and aid. IES Abroad offers a number of diversity scholarships and grants to provide opportunities for traditionally underrepresented communities in study abroad.

Value
$500 - $5,000

Program Reviews

4.91 Rating
based on 54 reviews
  • 5 rating 90.74%
  • 4 rating 9.26%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Academics 4.2
  • Support 4.7
  • Fun 4.7
  • Housing 4.75
  • Safety 4.75
Showing 1 - 8 of 54 reviews
Default avatar
Gianna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An unforgettable experience!

My time in Rome was the best 4 months of my life. The IES program did a fantastic job of immersing us in the culture by providing fun activities relating to Italian culture. We enjoyed pasta making, olive oil tasting, pizza making, honey tasting, and art-related projects with the Italian students. Essentially, the courses provided us with tours and information on the main attractions of Rome, but also the niche ones I would not have found any other way. Exploring the city was my favorite thing to do and I would find myself wandering around until I found something new and explored it. I was glad that the staff brought us to some of the most beautiful churches and I feel like I know a lot of Italian history. I made incredible friends and made memories with people I had just met just to enjoy this experience to the max. I was thrilled to have met such amazing people including the Italian mentors who gave us great insight being our age in Rome. We learned the dos and don'ts of the culture and I felt confident in myself to be independent in a new place. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who is still deciding. You won't ever regret it.

Pros
  • Culture immersion
  • Networking
  • stepping out of your comfort zone
Cons
  • Housing
27 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Carolyn
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Best Immersive Experience I Could Ask For

This past fall 2019, I had the exciting opportunity to study abroad through IES Abroad's Rome Language and Area Studies Program. Through IES, I opted for homestay housing and I bonded almost immediately with my hostess. The lectures in and outside of the classroom, my coursework and the IES Rome faculty made my studies in Rome extremely fruitful. IES Rome's organized events also gave a great introduction to Roman and Italian culture and inspired me to discover more about the city on my own. I could not have asked for a better culturally immersive experience!

What would you improve about this program?
There were hardly any flaws in IES Rome's program.
104 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Hannah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I had the time of my life in Rome!

I studied with IES Abroad Rome for the full academic year during my sophomore year of college and had the time of my life. IES was easy to work with both pre-departure and on-site. Before arrival, any questions that I had were answered promptly and thoroughly and the whole experience was very nice. The on-site staff in Rome were all wonderful. They are kind and dedicated people who are committed to ensuring that students have the best experience possible while they are abroad. All of the professors that I had the opportunity to study with were amazing. They were all very knowledgable in their field and made the classes both informative and enjoyable. My homestay was also amazing. It was located in the center of Rome, very close to the IES Center and with easy access to anything that I could possibly need. All of my classes involved field studies that took us all over the city and allowed us to see the things that we had been learning about in person. It really made the experience immersive and helped me to gain a deeper appreciation of my host country's history and culture. Overall, I had an incredible experience with IES Abroad and would recommend them to anyone wanting to have a truly fun and enriching experience.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My main suggestion is to spend time in Rome and the surrounding area. I knew so many people in the program who spent every weekend traveling and never really got to know the city that they were living in. While traveling around the rest of Europe is fun, I think it is important to spend time getting to know your host country as well.
95 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Rachel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An amazing experience that everyone should have!

An amazing opportunity for self-growth, adventure, and a wider sense of the world. IES Rome gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in Italian culture and encouraged me to use my language skills. I became quite familiar with Rome and grew to really love the city and its thousands of years of history. Having a home base in Rome additionally allowed me to travel to many different places in Italy including Cinque Terre, Venice, Amalfi, Florence, Milan, and San Gimignano. It was an incredible 4 months and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to have such a once-in-a-lifetime semester.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
plan ahead and make a list of top places you would love to see. Make a budget for yourself to help with this. Take advantage of your professors for travel recommendations or academic help on your program.
94 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Paola
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amo Roma!

I had an amazing time at IES Rome! I was originally hesitant to even consider going abroad, but after some persuasion from my friends, I decided that Rome was the place for me. I heard about IES through some friends of mine who really enjoyed the program and had nothing but amazing things to say about it, my experience was amazing and the reviews I heard were extremely on point. Going abroad is definitely one of the best decisions you could make! The program director and the professors I had throughout the semester were amazing and an invaluable source of support whenever I needed help or had questions about the program. If you do decide to go abroad, IES and Rome specifically were amazing!!! If you choose IES, say hi to Gianni Ponti, he is the best resource if you have any issues or just want to talk!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I was extremely lucky and I was able to see the pope in Vatican City! It was amazing
108 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Victoria
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Once in a Lifetime Experience

Studying abroad in Rome through IES was a once in a lifetime experience. I owe a large part my incredible time to IES and specifically the wonderful staff and students of this program. Before even leaving for abroad IES was there every step of the way to ensure I was prepared for my departure. From the second you land in Rome they are there for you, literally picking you up at the airport. They do everything they can to make sure you are comfortable, safe, and immersed by holding a week long orientation and approachable, friendly staff. The program offers multiple social/cultural events throughout the semester and each class has numerous field studies into the city so you are learning on site. I was able to participate in cooking classes, historical site visits, and more. One of the best parts is that you are living and taking classes in the center of the city, with everything from the colosseum to the Vatican in walking distance. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My best advice to students on this program would be to make sure to explore and understand the city and country you’re in! The rest of Europe is extremely accessible and definitely travel to other countries if you can, but don’t forget about the one you’re in that is dense in history, culture, art, and food!
97 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Reed
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Childhood Dreams

My journey to Rome began about one year prior to me boarding the plane for Europe. I had toyed with the idea of studying abroad ever since my school’s study abroad office gave a presentation about it my freshman year, and given my burning passion and desire for History and Classics I felt destined to study in the ‘old world.’ I prospected a few cities but nothing could compare to Rome; the draw of the Forum and Colosseum, the enticing sights of the Vatican, the delicious pasta and pizza I could eat on a daily basis all convinced me to commit to a History and Classics program there for the Spring of 2019. And once the paperwork began in March there was no stop until I boarded my flight to Italy in January.

Going to Rome felt like a death sentence the first week. I knew nobody else from my school and didn't have any other friends from high school in Europe with me, so I was plagued by intense feelings of isolation and loneliness for about a week after I arrived. Nearly every day I longed to go home to my girlfriend; the fear of missing out on her life and her adventures plagued me for the first week I lived there. It reminded me of freshman year all over again, except multiplied by a new language and culture that is completely foreign to anything I had ever experienced before. I came in thinking ‘I am going to find travel buddies right away and plan all sorts of amazing and wonderful adventures!,’ but when that didn't happen I was left confused and aimless. I knew I shouldn't waste this experience overseas but I felt homesick and longed for familiarity- something that would make me feel better. It wasn't until going to Malta my second week abroad that I leaned into myself and really felt convicted. I traveled there with one of my housemates and his friends, staying in an apartment with four guys I didn't know at all. Eventually, I decided to explore the island by myself and it was easily one of the best decisions I made while being in Rome! I knew right then and there that I don't need to depend on others for going on trips! Going solo through Malta allowed me to do things I wanted to do, and I got so much more out of it than if I had stayed with other people. As a result of that realization, I traveled to Florence, Venice, and Normandy solo. People might say that I'll be lonely while traveling alone, and having friends can make experiences better, but I also learned that it's okay to travel by myself and see the things I want to see and enjoy this beautiful continent on my own terms. I could set my own schedule, plan my own trips, and knock things off my bucket list without having to put things to a group vote. It was perfect for me while overseas!
I chose Rome for the History and Classics program, my two majors. I have studied Latin since middle school, so seeing the Roman Forum and thousands of ancient inscriptions across the city has opened my eyes and allowed me to learn the material unlike any other semester. In any given week, we learn about certain subjects in class and then go out into the city and see them in person later! Every day I was awestruck in wonder and amazement at the Roman ruins before me, a dream come true that I had been chasing since I was ten or eleven years old. That sense of utter disbelief is something I can’t really describe in writing or conversation; it’s something that must be experienced to fully appreciate. I believe everybody should have that chance to be astounded, to have their jaws drop as they look at something they have only studied in textbooks and classrooms, to see this world that the Lord has created and to have a childlike wonder re-kindled. My professors were walking encyclopedias full of knowledge about the Roman world and the early Christian church. One of them was an archaeologist for the Vatican and gave us a private tour of St. Peter's Tomb underneath the current basilica! It was so wonderful to have such passionate and enthusiastic people teaching in the cradle of Western civilization.

This city, this experience, this world is night and day compared to Holland, Michigan, and I am charmed by the inviting sense of wonder Europe offers. Overall, Rome was an absolute blessing. The food was kind to me, the views and scenic sights blew me away with their magnificence and elegance, the small towns in the Italian countryside gave me memories I will carry with me for years to come, and the abundance of Roman ruins was a daily reminder of why I came here. I discovered something new about this Eternal City on a daily basis, and a lifetime of living here wouldn’t be enough to uncover every secret Rome has to offer. For if we were made to stay in one place, then we would have been born with roots. Studying abroad was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I would absolutely make the same decision if I did the process all over again.

What would you improve about this program?
Better housing pairings. The guys I was placed with in my apartment were nice and we cohabitated together (there were five of us), but there was never a sense of community or fulfillment from living with them. I would have loved to be with guys I could relate to, understand, and enjoy trips with.
87 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Justine
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Experience Abroad

I loved my experience with IES. Starting out, they are super great about guiding you and making packing, logistics, and arrival as stress-free as possible. They pick you up at the airport, take you to your housing, and give you a week of orientation where they tell you everything you need to know. They make you feel 100% safe in your new home. They are also amazing about housing. The staff goes out of its way to pair you with people they think you will actually get along with. So don't get freaked out about having random roommates, cause they for sure will not be completely random. If you don't speak Italian, but are thinking of doing a homestay instead of an apartment, IES has also got your back. Almost all of their homestay moms speak English, so you'll be fine! IES also has awesome cultural excursions they plan for you, in addition to really interesting classes.

What would you improve about this program?
The professors could be more available in person. IES could also offer more pre-planned overnight trips.
112 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Our best guess is yes, because the weekends aren't scheduled. We also found this on the program site: "Our courses are experiential in nature, and we organize more than 150 course-related trips each semester to historic, artistic, and cultural sites that take advantage of the city’s many opportunities." Hope that helps!

our housing options were either 1) with a host family, or 2) in apartment housing with other students. I really enjoyed my living situation with a host family. The physical environment of the houses/apartments in Rome are probably more snug than what students are used to in the States, but it just takes some adjustment! In general, the student apartments and host family homes had a lot of charm...